The Sprout

“BUSINESS AS USUAL WILL KILL US” Westgate ‘die-in’ on 19th August

The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 150 September 2020

The Sprout

Issue 150, September 2020

Contents

3 Letters to the Editor

7 Seacourt Hall reopens

9 Botley in Bloom Winners

13 Oxford 15th Scouts

15 Beans, beans, beans

15 Planning Applications

17 Food Parcels Finish

21 Botley Arts – Landscapes

23 Botley Community Larder

27 Glut of Pears

29 Dean Ct carpark coffee

31 Botley Women’s Institute

33 4th Oxford Scouts

36 Randoms

41 Patients Group meeting

39 Local organizations

From the Editor

Welcome to issue 150, which tells us that The Sprout is starting on its

fifteenth year of publication. Slowly, slowly, things are approaching

‘normal’ though quite what that means remains to be seen. The Seacourt

Hall is reopening (p7), though no sign of the Library as yet. Botley WI

held its first meeting (p 31), the voluntary food parcel delivery service has

come to an end (p17), but the Community Fridge has reopened (p 39) and

a Community Larder has emerged (p23) through which, for a small weekly

payment, food which was going to waste can be taken back to feed

families – well done, Seacourt Bridge, for providing the space! The

Scouts and the Parish Council are still holding their meetings by Zoom,

and we look forward to learning how the schools will manage to re-open.

Dean Court is holding a coffee morning in the car park (p29). Nature,

meanwhile, is not interested in human problems – this year’s extreme

weather has been good for pears, and you can find ways of dealing with a

glut on p 31. Botley Arts, whose exhibitions, like the Community Fridge,

are held in St Peter and Paul’s Church, is showing pictures by Michael

Collier (p21). Virus footnote: our cover photo shows how fervently some

of Oxford’s young people are hoping for a green recovery. They are not

the only ones!

Ag MacKeith

Letters to the Editor

We need our Library

Botley Library moved at the beginning of this year to a splendid new

location. There were broadband issues which meant that there was an

interim solution with the staff using laptops. At the end of March the

pandemic forced the closure of all libraries. Now libraries are re-

opening but Botley library remains closed due to those same ICT

issues. Why, during over four months of closure, was nothing done to

fix this problem? How much longer is it going to be before Botley has

the library that it so badly needs?

Colin & Sally Hersom

Sharing our playing fields

Covid-19 has shown us the value of our green spaces for healthy

exercise in the fresh air, while still self-isolating. As a result, many more

people than ever before are now using the Louie Memorial Fields, gifted

to North Hinksey parishioners in 1939, for safe recreation. Yet North

Hinksey Parish Council is proposing at its meeting on 10th September

to sell exclusive rights of access to most of the Upper Field (the football

pitch and the MUGA and surrounding areas) for the next four years to a

private company (the Acer Trust, which amongst other schools includes

Matthew Arnold Academy) for the whole of the school day and for after-

school activities from Monday to Friday inclusive. This will severely

restrict our freedom to use the Field, and is a huge increase from the

current agreement. As before, the Parish Council has failed to consult

local parishioners and those who use the field. There is no good reason

for Matthew Arnold Academy, a minority of whose students come from

North Hinksey Parish, to take over our field, particularly as they already

hire sports space from the Brookes Sports Centre, and could extend

this hiring if more space is needed. If, like me, you agree that what is

proposed is unfair, write to the North Hinksey Parish Clerk at

clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk and contact your parish councillors (details

on the parish council website www. n orthhinksey-pc.gov.uk ).

Andrew Pritchard

The Chair of NHPC Recreation and Amenities Committee, Cllr Caroline

Potter, has sent this response: I would like to correct some inaccuracies

in Mr Pritchard’s letter. The proposed agreement with Matthew Arnold

School is for the designated sports facilities only, not the surrounding

open green space. It is limited to a maximum of three hours per school

day for the football pitch, and states that public access to the playing

field cannot be restricted at any time. Any further usage of the pitch or

MUGA is on request and subject to approval by the Louie Memorial

Pavilion Trustees, like all public bookings of these facilities. The

proposed agreement is an extension of the current agreement that was

trialled following a full public consultation, and has run successfully

since 2017. For details see the NHPC website: July 2020 Council

minutes (https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/events-by-year/?event-cat=

parish-council-meetings) and Louie Memorial Playing Fields page

(https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/recreation-amenities-committee/louie-

memorial/). To hear the discussion at the parish council meeting on

10th September, book your space with the Clerk via the PC website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

APPLE DAY is beginning to look like

SUNDAY OCTOBER 11th.

WILL CONFIRM IN NEXT MONTH’S SPROUT.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seacourt Hall to re-open at last!

In the July Sprout we reported

on how Seacourt Hall was

being used by the Botley

Community Fridge during

lockdown for storage and

packing; that we had

welcomed our new hall

manager Lottie White; and

that we had launched our new

website. Since then we have

been closely following the

evolving government

guidance, keeping in touch

with our regular user groups,

and planning the steps

required for reopening the

hall. The Community Fridge

will leave the hall at the end of August to refocus as a community larder

working out of the Seacourt Bridge pub. We will then begin the work to

make the Hall Covid-secure and put in place the measures required for

us to reopen.

We know our regular users are keen to return and we hope to be able to

welcome back many groups and activities during September. We plan to

reopen in phases with some activities able to take place before others.

Please check our website www.seacourthall.org.uk or Facebook page

for the latest details. You can also contact Lottie on

admin@seacourthall.org.uk or telephone 07452 960100.

At the time of lockdown the new hall had been open for just two months.

We were taking new bookings and adding more activities for the

community and are keen to bring these back. But we also have a

responsibility to do this safely. This means new guidelines and signage

in place, which hall hirers will need to follow carefully in order to keep

everyone safe and to make the best use of the hall.

The situation and guidance are constantly changing and evolving, so we

will keep everything under review. Please continue to keep an eye on

our website and Facebook page and on the Sprout for updates

including a revised date for our AGM.

Lorna Berrett, Chair, Seacourt Hall Management Committee

Botley in Bloom Winners

Best Over All: Jane Bailey and Jamie Bartram of West Way

Winning Garden – 100 West Way

Jane describes the

background to the

creation of the winning

garden.

We bought the flat

when it was first

constructed and let it

out because we were

living overseas. On

our return to the UK

we moved in and

decided to do

something with the ‘garden’ which had more or less been a dump site

during the construction. It had a decent beech hedge, some bamboo

that threatened to take over the garden and a few plants struggling to

grow in the poor soil/builder’s rubble. We designed a garden with no

lawn but with plenty of sitting area and flower beds. We included a

raised bed next to the hedge in the design to limit the road noise. We

engaged a local gardener to help with the heavy work and started the

project in late April 2019.

After the heavy work we populated the garden with perennial plants

bought locally, most on sale or on special offer. We scrounged plants

from friends and relatives and then waited for them to settle. As soon

as possible we lifted them, split them, and then replanted as many as

possible to fill in the gaps. We used a lot of lavender plants to create

soft edges to the hardscaping and to attract insects. This was a wise

choice. The plants are now very large and covered in flowers.

We added some garden furniture to provide places to sit and relax.

We’re fortunate to have great neighbours who stop by to chat. Some of

our regular visitors are feathered and others have six legs. There are

goldfinches and blackbirds that nest in the beech hedge. We have

many species of bees including the very entertaining Ivy bees. When

we started on this project in 2019 we had no idea that we would be

spending several hours each day getting fresh air during the lockdown.

How glad we are that we made the effort. Thanks to the unusually

clement weather we were able to have breakfast, coffee, lunch and,

sometimes dinner outside several days a week all through lockdown.

Jane Bailey

Being Prepared – 15th Oxford

takes on the Crisis

The 15th Oxford Scout Troop is normally based in

the New Baptist Church at the new West Way

centre, but during the Covid crisis, the Cubs and

Scouts embraced a slew of virtual activities via

Zoom. These have included mini raft building,

quizzes, battleships, bingo and socializing with

each other from a safe distance.

In between meetings, a Badges at Home programme has seen 60

badges awarded to the Scouts and 30 to the Cubs! We’ve now got

cyclists, collectors, chefs, gardeners, DIY-ers, and meteorologists

amongst others in our troop.

The fun hasn’t all been virtual, though. We held a home-based Spring

Camp over the VE day weekend that saw all ages building dens or

pitching tents to camp out, designing bunting, baking cakes, sending

Morse code messages, hosting tea parties, joining online escape rooms

and most importantly learning about Scouting during WW2. Summer

Camp at Home included more den building, more camping out, sign

language, taskmaster tasks, nature trails, international cooking, virtual

sports day and campfire songs.

The traditional camping under

canvas as a troop hasn’t taken

place this year, but we have plans

in place for it to return next year, all

being well. On that happy day the

Scouts will have a weekend camp

at a water activity centre in Wales

and the Cubs, hopefully, will visit

the South Coast and Brownsea

Island (site of the first ever Scout

camp). Both age groups will camp

on a farm over the summer under

canvas. Further down the line we

have made enquiries about an

overseas expedition. Our safety

standards are high, but our focus is

fun!

We have places for new children to join in these amazing activities in

2021. Cubs meet on Friday nights from 6.30 to 8.30, and Scouts follow

on from 8 till 9.30. For more info email xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.com.

We are always on the lookout for new leaders or adult volunteers, no

matter how much or little time you can give. We promise it is an

experience not to be missed.

As Scouts, we believe in preparing young people with skills for life. We

bring communities together and contribute to society. Above all, we aim

to build better futures.

Tom Freeman

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Beans, beans, beans

Do Magic Beans grow up and touch the sky?

Do Baked Beans in the tin see eye to eye?

Does the Runner Bean really want to run away?

Does the French Bean parler en Francais?

Is the Broad Bean happy in its skin?

Does the String Bean have to be so thin?

Is the Green Bean jealous of the Leek?

What about the "Has Beans"?&

(Destination : – Compost Heap)

The Bean I forgotti

&is called the Borlotti .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

P20/V1403/FUL

Vary condition 2 on

P18/V2968/FUL

Field End, Harcourt Hill. Amend drainage

and planting layout. Demolish buildings,

erect 2 dwellings and external works.

12 June

P20/V1446/FUL

Vary condition 2 of

application

P20/V0301/FUL

5 Toynbee Close. Provide Juliette balcony

& enlarge internal area. Revise bin

collection & parking areas. Erect new

building containing two 2-bedroom flats

17 June

P20/V1397/DIS

Discharge condition

4 Chelsie House, 104 West Way. Change

of use from residential dwelling to B&B

23 June

5 (Noise Control)

and 7 (Dust Control)

ref. P20/V0482/FUL

accommodation, with communal area and

bike store. Demolish conservatory and

construct single storey extension to rear.

P20/V1392/FUL 69 Yarnells Hill. Replace single dwelling

house with 5 houses. (as amended by

plans received 7 July 2020) .

24 June

P20/V1522/A Unit 1, Westway Place. Four internally

illuminated fascia signs, 1 internally

illuminated projecting sign, 1 non

illuminated external delivery area panel.

24 June

P20/V1582/HH 42 Hurst Rise Rd. Partial build over

ground floor, add new door & windows.

30 June

P20/V1587/A 9 West Way Square.1 X Internally

illuminated fascia - sign A 1 X Internally

illuminated projecting sign - sign B.

30 June

P20/V1634/PDH 11 Lime Rd. Ground floor rear extension,

floor plan redesign and associated works.

6 July

P20/V1671/DIS

Variation of condition

2- approved plans to

P19/V0416/FUL

Botley Centre. Discharge of condition 28 -

framework travel plan on application ref.

P19/V1731/FUL for internal & external

changes to block B.

8 July

Target Decision

Date 19 August

P20/V1784/HH 33 Arthray Rd. Single storey rear

extension plus 1st floor rear extension.

Change workshop to bathroom with

sauna behind.

20 July

TDD: 14

September

P20/V1661/FUL

Variation of

Condition 1 of

P19/V3252/FUL

34 North Hinksey Lane. Changes to

garage & parking. Variation of condition 2

(drawings) - change to house plans on

Planning P16/V2166/FUL (demolish

existing house and erect 3 dwellings).

24 July

TDD: 18

September

P20/V1515/LDP 19 Chestnut Rd. Change front door and

screen, replace windows & doors. Loft

extension to side and rear with Velux roof

windows.

26 July

TDD: 22

September

P20/V1717/HH 21/22 Hawthorn Close. Add box dormer to

No. 21 to match that at No. 22. Build

matching 1st floor extensions above

ground floor projections. Build matching

ground floor kitchen/diner extensions.

26 July

TDD: 22

September

P20/V1781/FUL

Comments by 3

Sept

The Willows, 4 Yarnells Rd. Demolish

existing house & replace with six 2- bed

flats, parking and amenity space.

5 August

TDD: 30 Sept

End of the Botley food parcel delivery service

At the end of August, the Botley community fridge is closing its food

parcel service. Since mid-March, we have delivered about 12,000

parcels to about 350 families, providing almost 100,000 meal-

equivalents, and saving many tonnes of food from being wasted. We

have delivered food to canal boats, to isolated farms, to people whom

we never saw because they were shielding, to people with special

requirements (FODMAP, Chinese diet, no cooking facilities), and to

someone whose child we have seen through nappy size 1, 2 and now 3.

We have made large deliveries every Monday and Thursday and

emergency deliveries when needed; provided food to homeless people

three times a week; taken nappies and milk to young families; given our

waste food to George the Pig; and had so much fun in the process.

But it’s time to close. Many of our volunteers are going back to work,

and many of our food recipients either no longer need food or can pick it

up from the newly-formed community larder. SOFEA, which has been

providing much of our food, is stopping its free food parcel programme

at the end of August.

Now for the many, many thank-yous. Thank you to everyone who grew,

collected and donated food, toiletries, and pet food, and sewed masks.

Thank you to Saman for weekly deliveries of much-appreciated

samosas for our volunteers. Thank you to everyone who contributed

money, which helped to pay for our drivers’ petrol and for the purchase

of nappies and milk for our young families, incontinence pads/pants for

the not-so-young, and deodorant, toothpaste, breakfast cereal and

sweets for the homeless deliveries. Thank you to our grant providers,

who stepped up rapidly at the beginning of lockdown.

Thank you to the Seacourt Hall Trustees for use of the excellent space,

North Hinksey Parish Council for provision of loo rolls and for facilitating

one of our larger grants. Thank you to Branches for the use of their

fridge. Thank you to our local supermarkets – the West Way and

Magdalen Street Tescos, Waitrose, Aldi and the West Way Co-op – for

their surplus food, the Oxford Food Bank for lots of non-perishables,

several chicken farms for their surplus eggs, and other stores and

wholesalers who also donated food. Thank you to Souya Ltd. who

delivered milk to us every Monday. Thank you to our fellow community

fridges and hubs for the exchange of food and food recipients.

The biggest thanks by far, however, goes to our brilliant, fantastic team

of volunteers. A small team of drivers picked up food most days of the

week and delivered it to the hall; a bigger team packed it into bags on

Mondays and Thursdays; a really big team delivered the parcels all

around Oxford and beyond (Kennington, Yarnton, Cutteslowe etc.); and

a small team has been going out on bikes three times per week for our

homeless deliveries. The volunteers have supported our food recipients

with patience and grace – dealing with people who are only voices on

an intercom, or who aren’t in and want the food delivered elsewhere,

who are deaf, or where the driver is the only person they will talk to that

week. Every volunteer has been a joy to work with, and I have learned

so much from them. I’m particularly grateful to Orit, Rita and Egle for

the admin help, and to Joe who leads many of the homeless runs.

The community fridge is not closing. It will reopen in its traditional

fridge-in-St.-P&P-church format in early September. This will be

complemented by the newly-formed Botley community larder. Do visit

both of them: we look forward to seeing you.

Riki Therivel

Landscapes

Botley Arts is back with a sparkling new exhibition by Michael Collier.

Michael is delighted to be exhibiting his work with Botley Arts, which

consists of local Oxford scenes contrasted with images from Cornwall.

As Michael writes:

“The paintings in the

exhibition are local views

in Oxford and Cornwall,

the two places where I

spend most of my time.

These are quite

contrasting landscapes,

each with their own

attractions. The meadows

in Oxford sometimes

dotted with sheep, cattle

or horses offer some

tranquil scenes. Rivers

and canals with their

bridges, boats and trees

along the banks make

good shapes and

contrasts, and of course

still waters with their

reflections are always a

challenge to pull off.

Cornish views are a

mixture of seascapes,

rugged headlands, cottages and patchwork fields – very varied terrain.

The colours can be extraordinary and the light is often strong. It is very

enjoyable painting these scenes and spending time on the detail seems

worthwhile to get a good effect. I like to find new subjects and my style

has gradually developed as I find what works. Nearly every subject

presents a fresh challenge and makes you wonder how other painters

would have tackled it. Not every attempt works out and some you have

to come back to and re-work. Although exhibiting requires a lot of

preparation I am always glad of feedback, because I am always

learning and experimenting. I’ve tried different mediums over the years

but seem to come back to oils which are easy to work with and give a

rich texture. My paintings are generally of similar size, not large, and in

standard mounts and frames, because that’s what people seem to

prefer. You can contact me on michaeltcollier@btinternet.com “

The exhibition opened on Monday 24th August and will run until the end

of November. The Church is open every day and the exhibition can be

viewed during daylight hours every day except Sundays.

For further information regarding exhibiting with Botley Arts please

contact Jennie Hopkins: jennie31317@gmail.com"

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A Community Larder for Botley

Botley Community Larder will officially open at the beginning of

September. We will be providing affordable, surplus food to the local

community – food that would otherwise go to waste. The food provided

will include ambient food, chilled meat and dairy products as well as

heaps of fresh fruit and veg.

Now that our sister service, the Botley Community Fridge, is winding

down, we are keen to step up and provide for the countless households

catered to by the Fridge throughout Covid-19. The Fridge has provided

an awesome community service to the whole of West Oxford and we

hope to maintain and grow that. After a long time searching for the

perfect location, we finally found our home in the Seacourt Bridge Pub,

in the heart of the Botley community. The pub is run by an incredibly

generous manager, Tracy, who has kindly offered us her space free of

charge, and supplies all the wonderful teas and coffees.

We will be providing the food in a market-type set up, with members

able to select from 10--20 items of food (depending on membership),

plus fruit and veg, per week. We also hope to host a range of wrap-

around services. We will be running a community café when the larder

is open, offering hot drinks, squash and cake to all those who attend.

Membership will also allow members to access discounts at local

independent businesses, utilities discounts and much more in the

future. We are also hoping to provide freshly cooked reheatable meals

thanks to a generous offer from Oxford Mutual Aid.

Membership starts at £3.50 per week for an individual and £7 per week

for a family. There is also a £10 annual joining fee to cover costs of

running the Larder. If you are keen to join but feel you can’t afford it,

come and talk to one of our volunteers. We reckon that for £7 family

weekly membership, the food equivalent would cost around £24 in

Tesco, and an individual could save up to £500 per year on their weekly

shop.

This is not a food bank. We are not just a food service, we are a

community hub. We are all about getting together, supporting individuals

and businesses in Botley, helping the environment, and going home

with a load of delicious, low-cost food. We are preventing food waste by

saving tonnes of perfectly edible (and often delicious and high-quality)

food from going into landfill. We are not means tested, ANYONE and

EVERYONE can and should join! Whether you are environmentally-

conscious about food waste, keen on community-building and getting to

know other locals, or just enjoy great food at a low cost, this Larder is

for everyone. Do consider joining – the first two weeks of membership

are free if you would like to sign up and trial it. Come along to the Larder

sometime for a cup of tea and cake, a chat and to find out more.

The Larder will run every Thursday from 3.30pm--5.30pm starting

September 3rd, at the Seacourt Bridge Pub, West Way, Botley, Oxford

OX2 0JB. Drop by, or message Botley Community Larder on Facebook,

or email us on botleylarder@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you.

Sorcha Maynard

Pears: dealing with gluts

If you have your own pear tree, then you will be able to pick more pears

that you can eat before they rot, even if you follow our advice from last

year to pick them before they are fully ripe and store them in the fridge.

If nothing else, you will run out of fridge space! Since modern pears

have been bred to be eaten raw, they can lose flavour when cooked.

Here are two ideas for preserving pears that actually enhance the

flavour.

Poirot Pears

2kg small firm pears, whole

or if large, quartered and cored

500g sugar

150ml white wine (or cider) vinegar

Place pears in 3 litre slow pot or casserole

Gently heat vinegar with sugar, stirring

occasionally, until dissolved.

Pour over pears. Cook very slowly for 6 hours (or more) till soft

To bottle, carefully transfer the pears to clean, hot jars; bring the syrup

to a boil and reduce slightly. Add juice to pears to fill the jars and seal.

This recipe was adapted from Fiona Nevile on Cottagesmallholder.com

who called them Belgian pears for no obvious reason. She used whole

pears, which look prettier but you need to have perfect fruit of all the

same size and they take up more space in cooking and storing.

Pear Compote

1.5kg ripe pears, cut into small dice

150g raisins

350ml apple juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

0.5 tsp ground ginger

Juice of lemon (optional)

Bring to boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir and cook 10 minutes more, uncovered, till juice is thickened and

pears tender.

Can be frozen or bottled and served hot or cold.

Colin & Sally Hersom

Coffee in the Car park

at Dean Court Community Centre

As part of our reopening, we’re inviting you all to join us for a socially

distanced coffee morning on Saturday 26 September, 10am–12 noon.

We’ll be offering free tea and coffee (and excellent company!) in our car

park and a chance for you to celebrate the amazing community spirit

that has been shown over these past few months.

It will also be an opportunity for you to learn all about the exciting plans

we have for making our Community Centre even more sustainable and

future-friendly. Some of you may already know that our main hall roof

leaks if it rains heavily and is windy at the same time (not uncommon

here in the UK!). So as well as carrying out repairs to that, we’re killing

two birds with one stone and installing several eco measures at the

same time.

If all goes to plan, the Centre will be kitted out with photo-voltaic (solar)

panels to harness the sun’s energy and we’ll be putting in two charging

points for electric vehicles. They’ll go nicely with our bike racks! Lighting

will be upgraded to more efficient LED versions, and anything else eco-

minded you can think of, we’re on it.

While we’re at it, we’re also planning to replace the brick wall between

the Centre and Pinnocks Way playpark with a fence and gate, opening

up the access between the two sites and improving the appearance of

the area. A win–win situation!

We’ve been busy applying for grants and formulating fundraising plans,

and we’d love your input. So do come along on the 26th and let us know

what you think. Perhaps we can tempt you to sponsor a roof tile or

two?!

Rachael Monks, Centre Manager

Botley Women’s institute

Botley Women’s institute in true W.I. fashion has risen like a Phoenix

from the flames and is back in action again. So far we have enjoyed

walks with the W.I. Walking Group to Hinksey Park, Grandpont and

along the river back to North Hinksey. We also walked along the

Towpath to Binsey and returned along Binsey Lane to the Botley Road.

We walked all the way round Farmoor Reservoir on 3rd August. What a

beautiful day that was – the cloud formation was absolutely stunning (as

you can see in the photo). On Tuesday 4th August eighteen of us held

our first meeting in the W.I. Hall with Liz Manson, President, conducting

the meeting as usual. Everyone had the best time with lots of chat and

laughter. The Corona Virus/COVID 19 that afternoon could have been

on the moon. We met friends and shared time, tea (we had brought

with us) and biscuits (wrapped) in the time-honoured way – obeying all

the social-distancing rules of course. We had a ZOOM contact set up

so that members who couldn’t attend could see other members. The

whole afternoon was an unqualified success in the W.I. calendar. We

are, of course, all mourning the loss of our beautiful Denman College*.

It was something very special in the lives of W.I. members. But we are

all looking towards the future with optimism. Well that is what W.I.

members do, don’t they? Among many other things.

Jenny Holloway

*Which has been hit hard by the lockdown. The proposal to close the

college is out for consultation, so a decision has yet to be made. Ed

Scouts zoom into action

The Fourth Oxford have been holding virtual meetings on Zoom during

summer term, and we are looking forward to starting face to face

meetings again as soon as is possible in the Autumn. Meanwhile, some

in the group have been setting up a

Minecraft server in which to hold

meetings. There are different worlds

to explore, mazes and other

challenges, and spaces to run wide

games like capture the flag. There

is a scout hut, a medieval castle, an

amphitheatre and a giant TV in

which to perform before an

audience seated on a giant sofa, a

hot air balloon, and numerous

enormous wild animals.

We have managed to run one Minecraft session for a few of the scouts,

where they were set a challenge – to create a home for a character of

their choice. There were some amazing creations, which included: a

space ship hovering in the sky with a laser beam firing at the ground

with sparks flying off; an evil looking square dark building, made for a

demonic king with a throne and places for his cringing servants; a magic

house with pumpkin lanterns floating

in space; an elaborate igloo; an

underground cellar for a demon,

guarded by a lava boundary and a

maze, all hidden deep in a forest; a

pyramid house with a library and

helpful hints for Minecraft

construction; a wizard’s keep with a

secret room behind a fire, holding

lots of chests and with a look out

post with a hot tub; a moated shelter

with home comforts and a secret stash of cake and diamonds; an

enormous hole in the ground leading to a small home; an evil lair with

skulls, surrounded by a moat with fish and submerged blocks of fire;

and an abandoned prison with secret spaces, inside secret spaces, for

a superhero to craft his weapons.

James Wynne, Chair

Randoms

Testing the water

Registration is now open for the next Thames Water Blitz between 25th

and 28th September! If you have taken part before, you can just sign in

to the FreshWater Watch website (https://freshwaterlinks.org.) and click

the registration link on your profile page. Don’t forget to follow Covid-19

guidelines – made easier by this being an outdoor activity. This will be

the tenth WaterBlitz taking place in the Thames Valley! It is timed to

coincide with regular water quality monitoring undertaken by CEH

(Centre for Ecology & Hydrology). Sampling at the same time as CEH

helps to provide information from areas and water body types that

would otherwise not be monitored. If you are interested in seeing the

data collected during previous WaterBlitz events and getting to know

more about your local freshwater environment, go to the Freshwater

Links platform: If you are registering for the first time, the link is

www.earthwatch.org.uk/waterblitz. If you have any questions, you can

ask them by email on water@earthwatch.org.uk

Giving bats a helping hand

Have you ever stood in your

garden at dusk and watched bats

swooping through the air at

lightning speed? It's an exciting

sight! These fascinating little

animals are a valuable part of

nature in the UK, but they’re

getting rarer. A gradual loss of

habitat and roost sites are cutting

the numbers, but there are things

that you can do to help. The UK

has around 15 million gardens,

covering an area greater than all

the National Nature Reserves

combined! So our gardens and

public green spaces are important

habitats for wildlife, including bats.

BBOWT (our local Wildlife Trust)

has sourced a booklet telling you

how to make your garden bat-friendly, and some of the things bats get

up to. https://cdn.bats.org.uk/pdf/Resources/Stars_of_the_Night.pdf

New walking map for Botley

An Oxford based charity – the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare – is

creating a new map of Botley as part of its Green Health Routes

Project. The map will show walking routes from Botley Health Centre to

the area’s nearby green spaces. The charity will be working with the

surgery to establish a weekly led health walk and other nature based

activities. They have previously produced Green Health Routes maps in

other parts of the city, including East Oxford, Wood Farm, Marston,

Blackbird Leys and Jericho. Andriele (Andy) Madison who is leading the

project, would like to hear from Botley residents with details of your

favourite local walks and green spaces. Find out more

on https://nhsforest.org/green-health-routes and please send your

suggestions to Andy on: andriele@sustainablehealthcare.org.uk The

project is supported by Postcode Local Trust, a grant-giving charity

funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Abingdon Dolphins

Have got in touch to say they are now offering swimming lessons from

skilled and experienced teachers. Find out more from 07931 714120 or

email enquiries@abingdondolphins.co.uk

Organise fuel bills, suppliers, before winter

Citizens Advice has advisers who can help you sign up with a new fuel

or electricity company, or switch to a better tariff. There’s no charge and

you won’t be steered towards one particular supplier because they have

no links with any of them. They offer one-on-one sessions (by telephone

at present) and can help you understand energy bills and various kinds

of tariffs, supporting you if you want to switch and calculating the

savings you might make. If you've fallen behind on bill payments, they

can advise you on ways to reduce your debt by budgeting or trying a

new payment scheme, for example. They can also check your benefit

entitlements and help you to claim them if you're eligible. (There are

several helpful schemes like the Priority Services Register and the

Warm Home Discount.) And they can help you resolve complaints

against your current supplier, if needed. There’s more information on

citizensadvice.org.uk/energyor phone Adviceline on 0300 330 9042.

The (original) Botley community fridge reopens

We’re delighted to tell you that the Botley community fridge will reopen

on Monday 7 September in the glassed-in lobby of St. Peter & St. Paul

church, 81 West Way OX2 9JY. It will be open every day 10-4 though

in time, as church services resume, the Sunday times will shorten. The

fridge gets surplus food from two Tescos, Aldi, Waitrose and

Sainsbury’s. The fresh food is free and available to anyone: it is a way

of reducing food waste. There will also be some shelving with non-

perishables which are specifically for people in need.

To keep everyone safe, the following has been agreed with

environmental health:

• Do not enter the church if you have coronavirus symptoms: high

fever, new continuous cough, loss or change to your sense of

smell or taste

• Only one per person in the lobby, and no children

• You MUST use hand sanitiser before touching any food

• Note your name and contact details in the book, for track-and-

trace purposes

• Please take only a small carrier bag of food, leaving some for

other people

• After taking food, promptly leave the church premises (including

parking lot)

There will be lots of food in the fridge right away, and we hope that there

will also be lots of people taking it! We look forward to seeing you there.

Riki Therivel

Reverend Clare takes a break

Revd Clare Sykes will be on sabbatical leave from 31st August to 22nd

November, and out of email contact, although her church email address

will be monitored on a weekly basis during this period.

School Bus resumes

It is a relief to note that Oxon County Council have continued to fund the

63 bus, which brings pupils in from Southmoor, Longworth, Hinton

Waldrist, Appleton, Eaton, Cumnor, etc, will be running from September.

It’s a two-hourly service running throughout the school day, so also

taking shoppers into the centre of Oxford. Not workers, though! They

can get in, but will need to find another way to get home again.

More winners of the Botley in Bloom competition

Elisabeth Clarke and Peter

England outside their garden

in Poplar Road, winners of

the Best Vegetable Element

Catherine and Emmett Casley,

of Crabtree Road, winners of

the Best Car Bower

Patients Participation Group

Highlights from the minutes of the Patients Participation Group of Botley

and Kennington Medical Practice meeting on July 14 2020

(12 members were present)

Recent experiences with Botley Medical Centre (BMC)

there are reports of patients’ failing to get seen or though to Reception.

Phone too often unavailable and long wait to get through, although one

member had reported a happier experience. BMC need to correct the

on-line prescription system or make sure that patients know that any

alteration to choice of pharmacies will only kick in after the first order.

Action: BMC to remedy the glitch causing this issue

‘Front of house’ issues: A member of the PPG had a problem making

herself understood to the receptionist once she got through (after 25

minutes). We suggested that BMC could compile some Customer

Service Target Levels of Service, including an acceptable number of

rings (or minutes) within which the phone should be answered, and

provide staff training. ‘Front of house’ welcome is as important as

confidentiality.

Prescriptions: Woodlands Pharmacy (Botley Road) will receive

prescription requests and repeat requests, lodge them with BMC,

prepare and deliver medication directly to the patient’s door (for free)

within two or three days. Wootton Pharmacy (Besselsleigh Rd,

Wootton) also lodges such requests with BMC. Patient Access is

working well for one PPG member who collects prescriptions from

Kennington Pharmacy 3--4 days after ordering on-line.

After discussion we agreed to publish PPG minutes in local

newsletters and on BMC website, as this would keep keep patients up

to date and stem misinformation and rumours.

[Drs Ahluwalia, Ballestero and McEwen and Esti Ballestero joined

meeting. The meeting continued...]

Communication: PPG’s objective No. 1 within its 2020 Action Plan is

to improve communication. The BMC agreed that this was key, as was

to be honest and open at meetings, to be supportive and respectful, and

to work towards the same objectives. They further offered to be in two-

weekly touch by email. This was agreed and noted.

National changes in Primary Care It was noted that money is being

given to create federations of practices, which they have to accept if

they want to get funding. But more has been achieved by local

initiatives than by centralized responses to the pandemic.

Patients with hearing difficulties need other ways of contacting the

practice than by telephone. The BMC website has an email address and

web based consultations are possible, but reordering a prescription

requires signing in to Patient Access, which can not be done by email.

PPG supporting BMC with new projects: BMC wishes the PPG to

support new patient engagement events and projects. The PPG

suggested this could be addressed through working groups. Action:

Sylvia to initiate setting these up, and members to volunteer.

Further initiatives: The BMC suggested the following initiatives.

Access to an allotment for those with mental problems; and help for

patients who find it hard to use the internet Action: Anne to write an

article for publication

Work still needs to be done by BMC on the leaflets provided by the PPG

after last year’s cancer screening talk. Action: Dr Ahluwalia and/or

Akinola will support Jacqui to produce this leaflet.

Reopening Kennington Health Centre

The Oxford Clinical Commissioning Group is currently looking for an

alternative Covid-19 Centre. Kennington cannot cope without KHC for

another year.

Publication of minutes of PPG meetings

The PPG will publish its minutes in local newsletters, with a view to

generating interest, and encouraging others to attend meetings.

(Minutes would not include confidential items.) BMC agreed that PPG

minutes could appear on the PPG page on the practice website. The

secretary offered to maintain the PPG webpage. Action: BMC to set

up access for PPG to post minutes

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details to

editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Jean Metson,

firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

Scout Hall, Arnolds Way; mail@thefourth.org.uk

Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, 1 Church Way, Botley

Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman (Scouts)

07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Badminton Club

Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark 0777

3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8 weeks.

Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S. Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@sky.com or Brendan

Byrne 792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com

Botley Community Larder

Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at Seacourt Bridge Pub. Drop by,

message via Facebook or email botleylarder@gmail.com

Botley Health Walks

Wednesday 9.30am. Contact Briony on Ox 246497

Botley Library

01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Every other Thursday. Seacourt Hall. Viv Smith 01865 241539

or Jackie Warner 01865 721386

Botley Singers

Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela Astley-

Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com

Cumnor Choral Society

Rehearsals Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795 054142

or www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett 862788

www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District

Historical Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old School.

01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or phone 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton village hall. C. Casson 01235 831352

or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call

863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Let’s Sing! – singing group Weds 2pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or email

emformusic@outlook.com

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am–6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr 07798743121

voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council Sharon Henley, clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

N Hinksey Youth Club

Weds at LM pavilion, Daz on 07791 212866 or see F’book

Oxford Flood Alliance R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging Club 4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259

Oxford Harmony Men's

Acappella singing group

Meets Wednesdays 7.45 pm at Seacourt Hall, Contact

pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice

monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis

Club, N Hinksey

Family club: Melanie Riste 848658

melanie_riste@hotmail.com

Raleigh Park, Friends of raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Saturdads at

Botley Bridges

Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s

10 am–noon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955

Seacourt Hall Management

Committee

Michael Cockman 07766 317691

michael.cockman@gmail.com.

Shotokan Karate Club 6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Walking for Health

2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.45 Botley Library.

Alan 07941 610913

West Oxford Bowls Club Contact details on www.westoxfordbowlsclub.co.uk

West Oxford Taekwon Do Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall 01865

570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A (Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

West Way Day Centre

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Women’s Institute (Botley) Liz Manson, 244175 or liz.manson@virginmedia.com

Weight Watchers

Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall Banso tel:

07779 253899 bansob@aol.com

Sprout

September 2020

Still too few public gatherings for a diary,

but here are some useful phone numbers.

See North Hinksey Parish Council website for a comprehensive list of all

the local support groups currently in operation, as well as advice on

asking for help and looking to volunteer. It’s at https://northhinksey-

pc.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub/ If you have something to add, please

email the website manager Councillor Lorna Berrett

on lberrett.nhpc@gmail.com. All your local parish councillors’ contact

details are on the website too, so if you need help, you can ask any of

them and they will rally round.

Church contact details are on the inside back cover.

Oxford Hub’s email is: hello@oxfordtogether.org

Phone: 07957 105129 (9-5pm Mon-Fri)

Citizens Advice Adviceline on 0300 3309 042

Woodlands Pharmacy: 01865 242649

Lloyds Pharmacy: 01865 247023

Age UK Oxfordshire offers a new telephone support line for older people.

You leave a message on 01865 411288 and they will call you back.

Nextdoor North Hinksey is a local chatroom full of help and advice.

Anyone already on it can invite you to join, or contact the Sprout

Finally, two handy Facebook pages:

The Botley Notice Board (OXON)

and Oxford Covid-19 Mutual Aid group

Th e S p r ou t is p ri n te d b y D a ta p r in t Lt d , a n d p u bl i s he d by No r t h

Hi n ks e y Pa r i sh P ub l i ca t io n s L t d , ( a c o mp a n y l i mi t ed b y gu a ra n t ee )

Re g is t r at i on No . 0 5 6 09 5 35 .

It ca n al s o be f ou n d o n l in e at Bo t l ey H in k s ey. o r g. u k